The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-19
NOTES FOR WOMEN.
Gossip about Gowns and the Way they
are Made.

NEW York, Sept. lT.--''Why don't you
women so to different dressmakers.n
''What is the troubleF'
s'One has given up expecting to see Won
dress yourselves according to your individual
tastes, characters and styles You are all
dressmakers' models, but if you would only
introduce variety by consenting to be models
of different dressmakers that would relieve
the general monotony little. As it is YOU
all go TO the same one or else all the dress
makers copy one another
This challenge, issued at a Newport gar
den party short time since, resulted in a
novel dress reception in quiet little studio
the other evening. The invitations ex-
tended to ladies contained the stipulation
that each woman attending should wear
what, III her eyes was the ideal dress for her
sex the idea being to induce each fair dame to
put ON tor once what she would prefer to
wear always ii the conventions of society
permitted. No such restriction was put
upon the escort. Gentlemen were permitted
to experiment in aesthetic male attire or not
as they chose with the exception of the nv
percritical artist whose animadversions had
furnished the occasion of the gathering He
was notified that an exemplifcation of the
millennial costume of the man was required
at his hands.
The gowns brought out at this unique
evening tea displayed considerable origin
ality and indicated a greater amount of
thought bestowed on healthful and artist
cally beautiful dress than one would have
given New York subjects of the lady's
tailor by day and the French modiste by
night credit for. They did not follow any
existing dress reform models closely, though
one divided skirt was in the field No two
resembled each other and a number of ex-
tremely pleasing costumes were evolved A
tall, slight blonde wore gown of peach
blow silk crepe. 1t fitted closely at the
back, falling without draperies In front
it dropped loosely in long Greek folds, con-
fined by a silver girdie The sleeves were.
close to the elbow, quite full above. No
trimmings of any kind were allowed and no
ornaments worn. The shoes were low cut.
without heels and of light undressed kid.
The dress just cleared the floor. Another
gown was of white silk, soft and clinging.
cut after modification of the Directoire
fashion. The bodice was cut neither high
In the neck nor low, but gathered perhaps
two inches or three below the usual day-
light chol1er level showing pretty throat.
The loose short waist without darts was
gathered into belt and the skirts abso-
lutely without trimming or drapery fell
close about the limbs. For the slender ROSY
brunette who wore it nothing more effective
could have been devised
A majority of the gowns probably were
in the softer silks which make the most
graceful of drapely dresses and lend them
selves most eaSiiy to q departure from con-
ventional forms. Numbers of the women
present, giving the occasion its broadcast
latitude, illustrated their ideas not of even
ing and gala gowns, but OF every day dress
suitable to their chosen occupations. A
walking gown, for instance, of a russell
brown cashmere was made with q short
skirt witho.5 draperies, laid in broad side
plaits The bodice was close fitting behind
with loose jacket fronts falling over full
blouse of padded surah in garnet and olive
shades. An artists wife, more radical in
her dress reform desires than many of her
companions, habited herself in a soft moss
green wool gown with full plain skirt some
four inches shorter than the customary
walking length With this she put on a
full blouse of the same material, falling
over belt and laced with silk cord She
allowed herself wide velvet collar and
velvet cuffs to the leg O mutton sleeves and
then declared herself ready for any of life's
emergencies even TO running to the fourth
story two steps at once. A Highlandsh
costume with skirts reaching just below the
knees and reached by long laced boots with
soft undfessed kid tops colored to harmonic
with the gown was the only startling devia-
ton from ordinary attire, but the dresses
without exception were SO contrived as not
to insist on the outlines of the figure, and
being free instead of strained from bias
seam to bias seam, were proportionately
graceful Not one fitted closely above the
waist line. They were tea gowns and tennis
gowns adapted to all other uses.
The men of the party did not avail them
selves of their privilege very fully, though
the individual who was put on honor to
wear what he thought he ought to wear al
lowed his conscience to wrestle with him so
far as to put on a white flannel shirt and
painters jacket instead of dress suit
THE FEMININE BACHELOR
is becoming feature of New York. She
has developed here to an extent not known
in any other city. She is frequently pretty,
she is always well dressed, she ranges from
S3 to SO years old and she leads an lndepend-
ent life not usual with any other class of
women. The feminine bachelor is a woman,
young, unmarried, living by herself or with
a companion like herself, to whom society
by common consent allows an individual
freedom never dreamed of by the chape-
roned girl, and to be ikened only to the
Bohemian existence of the unmarried man.
The feminine bachelor is usually bright
girl and she often comes from the country.
She is fully capable of taking care Of her.
self and her numbers multiply every sea-
SOIL.
The feminine bachelor is save for other
bohemian women a stranger In the city,
UnOuSn ner Don cOfndTader1e extends the
circle of her acquaintance rapidly. She is
an art student, q medical student, she is
learning music or shorthand She has lite
rary warnings and sends manuscripts to all
the publishers. She is on an independent
footing, comes and goes as she pleases, holds
herself bound by no code of propriety save
her own, and has induced society to accept
her code as for her as good a one as need be.
she has comparatively few acquaintance
OF the other sex. Men are apt to like her
and she is apt to like them, but she is too
busy to let the association go very far She
is not distinctively bluestocking like the
Boston old maid She does not remain sin
gle of set purpose, but is like enough to con-
tinue unmarried through filling her LIE. full
of other things
The true feminine bachelor is never pes
simist. She likes New York; she rejoices
IN her own perfect freedom and she dissi
pates in bright, innocent, lght-hearted
way that is moro like the joviality of boys
and girls than the dignity of three decades
OF years. The feminine bachelor goes to
concerts and lectures and to the theatre a
great deal. | have never missed her on
first night. She is always there and is the
best posted woman on opera and plays IN
the city. She comes alone and she goes
home alone and nobody moiests her or makes
her afraid.
THE TNDEprNDEyT WOMAN